Fifth graders from Chester and Philadelphia visit Top Chef Jose Garces’ Luna Farm
What:
The Independence Blue Cross Foundation (The Foundation) announces the Garces Foundation as the newest Foundation Healthy Futures Initiative “Eat Right” partner at an event at The Garces Luna Farm for 50 fifth graders from Drexel Neumann Academy in Chester and LaSalle Academy in Philadelphia. Students will visit Luna Farm in Bucks County to see, smell, taste, touch, and hear first-hand how fresh, healthy eating can improve their health.
Healthy Futures initiative is a three-year, nearly $3 million comprehensive, collaborative approach to combating obesity and improving child wellness in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Healthy Futures focuses on three components of healthy living — “Eat Right,” “Get Fit” and “Stay Well” — each brought to life in area schools through partnerships with national and regional leaders with expertise in nutrition, fitness, and preventative health. Launched in August 2013, Healthy Futures offers programming in 25 regional schools, directly impacting more than 1,000 students and their families.
As part of “Eat Right,” the Garces Foundation will educate children about the nutritional benefits of sustainable agriculture, meal preparation, and healthy eating. The Garces Foundation, founded in 2012 by Chef Jose and Dr. Beatriz Mirabal Garces, is devoted to making Philadelphia the best place to live, work and play by seeing that all residents have access to the care they need. The Garces Foundation’s goal is to connect people to the many resources that already exist within the city.
Jose Garces will participate in a special celebrity cook-off with Chef Marc Vetri at a national childhood wellness conference sponsored by the Independence Blue Cross Foundation and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on October 20 in Philadelphia.
When:
Wednesday, September 24
11:30 a.m.
Where:
The Garces Luna Farm
39 Park Rd.
Ottsville, PA 18942
Who:
Trinity Busch, executive director, Garces Foundation
Drexel Neumann Academy and La Salle Academy principals and students
Lorina Marshall-Blake, IBC Foundation president
Key visuals:
Drexel Neumann Academy and La Salle Academy students exploring Luna Farm
Check presentation from IBC Foundation president to Trinity Busch
About the Independence Blue Cross Foundation
The Independence Blue Cross Foundation is a charitable, private foundation, whose mission is leading solutions for a healthier community. The Foundation targets the following areas of impact:
- Securing the Blue Safety Net: Supporting private, nonprofit community health center clinics that provide access to quality, affordable healthcare in medically underserved areas.
- Bolstering the Health Care Workforce: Strengthening the nursing, primary care, and allied health workforce through education, career development, and research.
- Addressing Health Priorities: Collaborating with wellness partners to tackle the region’s most pressing health challenges; currently combating the obesity epidemic through the IBC Foundation Healthy Futures Initiative.
- Building Healthy Communities: Partnering with community leaders and programs to address community health and wellness needs.
Learn more by visiting our website: www.ibxfoundation.org. Connect with the Independence Blue Cross Foundation on Twitter and Instagram at @ibxfdn.
Media contact
Ruth Stoolman
Independence Blue Cross
215-241-4807 (office)
215-280-3335 (cell)
ruth.stoolman@ibx.com